A short but very informative lesson, courtesy of Ekaterina, who shared her in-depth knowledge on the subject with us last fall. Let’s hear from her.
How to Pick Mushrooms Properly?
Last week, a young family asked me, “How do you pick mushrooms the right way?”
This isn’t the first time someone has asked me this important question during mushroom season, which runs from August through November.
This year, I passed my exam to become a “PilzCoach” in Germany—that is, a “mushroom guide”—and I’ve already led about ten excursions in forests across France, Germany, and Switzerland, where I now live.
That’s why I decided to put together some useful tips for people who know nothing about this subject. So
here are a few important tips:
First, you need to find a beginner-level course to learn the basics about mushrooms.
If no such course is available, it’s best to find out if there’s someone in your village or town who knows how to forage for mushrooms properly and who could take you along.
Second, you should buy a book—a mushroom guide—and start reading it.
In fact, there are between 10,000 and 12,000 species of “macrofungi.” So you need to start by identifying edible mushrooms and focusing on a “family” of mushrooms known as “sponges.”
But why just the sponge mushroom family?
Because there are no deadly species within it.
Once you’ve learned the basics, you need to start experimenting. How? First and foremost, you’ll need a basket and a good knife— preferably a short one! Mushrooms really don’t like being in plastic because it starts the process of breaking down the protein.
If you don’t want to get bitten by ticks, you need to wear long pants and sturdy, closed-toe shoes. You’re already pretty well equipped with that!
But how do you know when it’s a good time to go into the forest?
First of all, you need to check if there’s enough moisture. Has it rained in the last few weeks? Great—then we can start looking for a suitable forest. It’s very important to find a spot that isn’t completely covered by plants or wild vegetation and that gets plenty of light.
If you’ve already read up on “sponge” mushrooms—preferably—you should know that they form a symbiotic relationship with a specific tree. For example, my favorite mushroom, the “Little Red Riding Hood” or Leccinum versipelle, needs birch trees.
So, grab your mushroom guidebook and start looking for them. Never pick mushrooms you don’t recognize—leave them for nature!
Once you get home, you’ll need to prepare the mushrooms fairly quickly: either cook a meal, freeze them, or marinate them, depending on your preference.
And if you still have a few questions, you can ask me during my guided excursion next year in France or elsewhere…
Good luck and happy foraging!
Here are some useful resources to learn more about this topic:
Three comprehensive educational modules to practice listening comprehension:
Level A2–B1
https://www.podcastfrancaisfacile.com/dialogue/chasse-aux-champignons.html
Level B1–B2:
Level B2-C1
https://enseigner.tv5monde.com/fiches-pedagogiques-fle/embed/france-des-champignons-en-ville